The Cold War

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1. President Harry S. Truman- This man was the president of the United States during the beginning of the Cold War. He created the Truman Doctrine, which stated that the United States would provide aid to countries threatened by Communist expansion.
2. Nikita Khrushchev- This was the leader of the Soviet Union who emerged in 1955. He built the Berlin Wall and tried to supply Cuba with nuclear missiles.
3. President John F. Kennedy- This was the president of the United States who dealt with the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also during his time as president, a hotline from Washington DC and Moscow was installed so there could be quick communication.
4. General George C. Marshall- This man was the secretary of state during the beginning of the Cold War and created the European Recovery Program, better known as the Marshall Plan. This was the plan to help rebuild war-torn countries so they would not feel the need to become Communist.
5. President Lyndon B. Johnson- This was the president during the Vietnam War. He was worried that if South Vietnam became Communist, this would lead to other Asian countries also becoming Communist.
6. George Kennan- This was a well-known US diplomat who argued for a policy of containment. This would keep communism within its existing boundaries and prevent aggressive moves by the Soviets.
7. Mikhail Gorbachev- This was the leader of the Soviet Union in the last stages of the Cold War. He led the Glasnost and Perestroika, which were supposed to bring the Soviet Union out of Communism.
8. Fidel Castro- This was the Cuban left-wing revolutionary that overthrew the dictator Fulgencio Batista and set up a Soviet-supported totalitarian regime.
9. President Richard M. Nixon- This was the president after Johnson who pledged to stop the Vietnam war. However, within two years of the agreement with North Vietnam that allowed South Vietnam to remain capitalist if the USA withdrew its troops, South Vietnam was forcibly reunited with North Vietnam.
10. Alexander Solzhenitsyn- This was the author of "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," a book that portrayed life in a Siberian forced-labor camp.

1. Truman Doctrine- This was the policy of President Harry S. Truman, which stated that the USA would help any country being threatened by Communist expansion.
2. De-Stalinization- This was Nikita Khrushchev's policy of eliminating the ruthless policies created by Joseph Stalin. This included loosening government controls on literature and placing more emphasis on producing consumer goods.
3. Arms Race- This was the race between the United States and the Soviet Union to build up their armies and stores of weapons.
4. Warsaw Pact- This was the alliance between the Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. It was a reaction to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
5. NATO- This was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which included Belgium, Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Iceland, Canada, and the United States. It was an agreement to provide mutual help if any one country was attacked.
6. Policy of Containment- This was the policy put forward by George Kennan to try to keep communism-style government fairly benign and within its current boundaries.
7. Satellite States- These were the countries that were both economically and politically dependent on the Soviet Union. They chose not to participate in the Marshall Plan.
8. Marshall Plan- This was the plan created by George C. Marshall. It involved rebuilding war-torn countries in Europe so they wouldn't have to resort to Communism.
9. Heavy Industry- This term refers to the manufacture of machines and equipment for factories and mines. During Stalin's regime, heavy industry increased, mainly for the military's benefit.
10. Perestroika- This was the gradual restructuring of the Soviet economy which allowed private enterprise and dismantled the national bureaucracy. It was led by Mikhail Gorbachev.

1. If you want more information about the SALT treaties, this site contains information about what the SALT treaties entailed.
2. If you want more information about major people of the Cold War, this site contains information about each of the major leaders in this era.
3. If you want more information about Perestroika, this site contains information about the steps taken by Gorbachev to move away from Communism and into a less oppressive era.
4. If you want more information about the collapse of the Soviet Union, this site contains information about what led to the economic downfall of the USSR.
5. If you want more information about the various policies that made up the policy of containment, this site contains information about the Marshall Plan, Truman Doctrine, and Kennan's proposal of the policy of containment.
6. If you want more information about the satellite states of the Soviet Union, this site contains information about the Soviet Union and the nations it was allied with.
7. If you want more information about JFK during the Cold War, this site contains a summary of his actions as president during the Cold War.
8. If you want more information about Mikhail Gorbachev, this site contains a summary of his life and actions during his career.
9. If you want more information about the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, this site contains information about how each was formed and what they entailed.
10. If you want more information about the Bay of Pigs Invasion, this site contains a summary of the event and decisions leading up to it.